Drive arrangement for typewriters



June 12, 1962 w. P. RYAN ETAL DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 RYAN LOUIS CETRAN d4 INVENT WILLIAM EMM gfl mms June 12, 1962 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 Fig-6 W. P. RYAN ETAL DRIVEARRANGEMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WILLIAM E RYANLOUIS CETRAN ATTORNEYS June 12, 1962 w. P. RYAN ETAL DRIVE ARRANGEMENTFOR TYPEWRITERS Filed Aug. 22, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS WILLIAM BRYAN LOUIS CETRAN Fig-5 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,038,578 DRIVEARRANGEMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS William P. Ryan, Avon, and Louis Cetran,Newington, Conn., assignors to Royal McBee Corporation, Port Chester,N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 50,915 4Claims. (Cl. 197-17) This invention relates to an improved drivearrangement for typewriters and the like, and more particularly relatesto a novel typewriter action which maybe power or manually operated asdesired.

One object of the invention is to provide a typewriter which has twodistinct key dips which are selectively operable depending on whetherthe typewriter is power or manually operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel typewriter drivearrangement whereby the type bars may be selectively driven by anarcuate bail that is cyclically actuated by a power roll.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved power rolltype action for a typewriter wherein a separate predetermined cammingsurface is formed adjacent the lateral face of a circular roll cam thatengages a rotating power roll.

A further object of the invention is to provide a power operated typeaction having a novel non-repeat arrangement.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View showing the normal condition of thepertinent portions of the instant typewriter when the latter isconditioned for power operation.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the drive linkage for asingle type action.

FIGURE 3 is a partial plan View of the roll cam drive assembly andrelated linkage.

FIGURES 4 and 5 are active views of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURE1.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view showing one type action which hasbeen conditioned for manual operation.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view illustrating the active condition ofthe bypass or non-repeat arrangement for the powered type action.

Unless otherwise stated it will be assumed that the various conventionalparts of the typewriter hereinafter described are constructed andsupported in the machine base or frame in any suitable known manner suchas that used in the portable typewriter presently being produced andmarketed by the Royal McBee Corporation.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 there is shown a pair of machine sideframes 10 and 11 in which is mounted a segment 12 that operativelysupports a plurality of type bars. In that the construction and drivearrangement for each type bar is similar the hereinafter descriptionwill, for the sake of clarity, take into consideration the operationrelated to only one of these type bars. Type bars 13 is articulatelyconnected by a link 14 to a sub-lever 15 that is pivotally supported onan arcuately shaped pivot wire 16. Sub-lever 15 is articulatelyconnected by a link 17 to a key lever 20 which is mounted on a crossshaft 21. Links 14 and 17 are respectively coupled to the sublever 15 atthe arcuate slots 22 and 23 formed in said sub-lever. The key lever 20is spring biased upwardly in-the usual manner to a position determinedby engageice ment of the upper edge of the key lever with the lower edgeof an eccentric 24 that is secured to a cross shaft 25 rotatably mountedin the side frames 10 and 11. Secured to one end of shaft 25 is a pulley26, FIGURES 1 and 3, which is rotatably coupled by means of a belt 27 toa pulley 30 that is fixedly secured to a cross shaft 31. The shaft 31 isrotatably mounted in the side frames 10 and 11 and has fixed thereto atits outer end a mode selection crank arm 32 which is disposed along theouter side of the side frame 11 and which is provided with an operatinghandle 33 by means of which the crank arm 32 may be moved to either ofthe two detented positions E or M, FIGURE 1, that respectivelycorrespond to the power and manual modes of operation of the typewriter.The cross shaft 31 has fixed thereto an elongated and radially extendingkey lever stop plate 34 which provides a lower stop fo all the keylevers when the typewriter is conditioned for power operation asillustrated in FIGURE 1.

A power operated bail assembly 50 is provided for driving the varioustype bars and comprises a pair of hell cranks 51 and 52 which aredisposed on the outside of said side frames 10 and 11 and which arefixed to the opposite ends of a cross shaft 53 rotatably supported insaid side frames. The upper ends of said bell cranks are respectivelyformed with notches 54 and 55 so as to re spectively receive the pins 56and 57 which are fastened to slides 60 and 61 that are connected to theopposite ends of the bail body 62. Slides 60 and 61 are respectively 30supported for forward and rearward movement on the slide shafts 63 and64 that are mounted on the brackets 65 and 66 fixed to the side frames10 and 11 respectively. The bail body 62 is biased to a normal forwardposition by means of a spring such as illustrated at 67, said positionbeing determined by engagement of the vertical portion of the bell crankarms with the adjustable eccentric type stops such as 68, 69, FIGURE 1,that are mounted on the side frames by any suitable means. The bail body62 is normally disposed just forwardly and slightly below the dependingtails, such as 70, formed on the Various sub-levers.

Means are provided for actuating the bell cranks 51 and 52 so as tocause the arcuate bail body 62 to move through a rearward power strokeand a forward return stroke which collectively define one cycle ofoperation; such means comprising an axially shortened conventional typerubber power roll or disc which is rotatably mounted on the outer sideof the side frame 11, FIGURES 1 and 3, and which is continuallyrotatably driven by any suitable means such as by pulley 81 and belt 82.A circular roll cam 83 having a roughened periphery is adapted tocooperate with said power roll and is rotatably mounted on the upper endof an arm 84 that is rotatably fastened as by pin 85 to the side frame11. The roll cam 83 has integrally formed on the side face thereof atriangular shaped cam 87 having flat sides 90, 91 and 92 which inoperation are adapted to successively overlie the upper edge 93 of therearwardly extending arm 86 of bell crank 52. The arm 84 is lightlybiased in a counter clockwise direction by means of a frame anchoredspring 94 so that one of said flat cam sides is yieldably retained inengagement with the said upper edge of the bell crank arm 86. In thisway the roll cam 83 may be yieldably detented in successive rotativepositions each of which locates the roll cam in a position which is outof engagement with the power roll 80. Articulately connected to therearward end of arm 84 is a control lever 95 which is biased in aclockwise direction by a spring 96 and which is formed with an elongatedarcuate slot 97 at the upper end of which is formed a shoulder 98 and acamming surface 100. As will be apparent the lowering and elevating ofthe control lever 95 will respectively cause the roll cam 83 to movetowards or away from the periphery of the power roll 80. The roll cam 83and arm 84 are normally locked in a position away from operativeengagement with the power roll by means of a rearwardly extendingprojection 101 which is integrally formed on the end of said bell crankarm 86 and which has a bent olf ear 102 that rides in said control leverslot 97 and normally underlies and cooperates with said shoulder 98thereby positively preventing any relative downward movement of saidcontrol lever which would permit a movement of the roll cam towards thepower roll. The means for unlocking and lowering lever 95 so as topermit movement of the roll cam into operative engagement with the powerroll comprises a transversely extending bail 103 which is fastened to anaxially movable cross shaft 104 that is rotatably mounted in the sideframes. The body portion of bail 103 defines a transversely extendingand horizontally disposed comb 105 having a plurality of laterallyspaced teeth 106. Bail 103 is biased in a counter clockwise direction bymeans of a spring 108 so that the forwardly extending arm 109 thereof isin normal engagement with the frame stud or stop 107, FIGURE 1. When themachine is conditioned for power operation the forward end of each combtooth is normally disposed just to the rear, FIGURE 2, of the rearwardend of a laterally flexible finger 110 fastened to the related key leversuch as 20. As will be apparent when any one of the normal complement ofkey levers is depressed the bail 103 will here be rocked in a clockwisedirection against the action of spring 108. A rearwardly extending arm111 formed on the end of bail 103 is porvided with a bent ofl pad 112which overlies a forwardly extending projection 113 formed at the lowerend of the control lever 95,

The bail 103 is adapted to be axially displaced a short distancerelative to the key levers when the typewriter is conditioned for manualoperation so that the bail fingers 106 are out of registry with thevarious key levers. Here a bell crank 114, FIGURE 3, is rotatablymounted on the vertically disposed frame stud shaft 115, FIGURE 3, andis Provided on one arm thereof with a yoke 116 which straddles theradially extending end portion 117 of the bail 103. The other end of thebell crank 114 is articulately connected by means of a link 118 to theradially outer end of a crank arm 120, FIGURE 1, that is rotatably fixedto said shaft 31.

A power by-pass arrangement is porvided so as to prevent repeat cyclingof the roll cam drive means in the event that any key lever is held inthe depressed position. On the rearwardly extending arm of the bellcrank 51 there is formed a bent off camming ear 121, FIGURE 3, which isadapted to engage the adjacent end 122 of shaft 104 and axially cam thelatter through a short axial distance when the bell cranks 51 and 52 areoperatively displaced during the first half of each cyclic poweroperation. The bail 103 and the shaft 104 are normally biased towardsthe bell crank 51 by means of a compression spring 123 which isoperatively disposed between the end of bail 103 and the adjacent innerside of the side frame 11, the normal position of bail 103 beingdetermined by engagement with side frame 10. This cyclic axial movementof the bail 103 is accommodated by the slot 124 formed in the said bellcrank 114 thereby avoiding a corresponding cyclic movement of the link118, crank mm 120 and related linkage.

The operation of the above described apparatus for power operating thetype bars of the machine will now be discussed. The mode selection crankarm 32 is first moved to and yieldably retained in the E position illustrated in FIGURE 1 so that the eccentric 24 and the plate 34respectively determine the upper and lower limits for the dip ooperative movement of all the key levers such as 20. When the arm 32 isso positioned the bail 103 will be located such that the comb fingers106 are in operative alignment with the various key lever projectionssuch as 110. When key lever 20 is in its normal upper position therearward hooked end of link 17 is biased upwardly by spring 18 intoengagement with the shoulder 121 formed along the upper edge of the slot23 of sublever 15, and the left end of link 14 will be at or near theupper end of the sub-lever slot 22 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. When keylever 20 is depressed the first portion of its travel will through link17 serve to rotate the sub-lever 15 so that the depending sub-leverprojection 70 is swung from a normal inoperative position into theoperative path of travel of the power operated bail body 62. During thisinitial sub-lever movement no motion is transmitted to the type bar link14 in that the left end of the latter merely rides towards the lower endof the arcuate slot 22. During and after this portion of the key dip thekey lever projection 110 engages the associated comb tooth 106 and thebail 103 is thereby rotated in a clockwise direction so that rearwardextension pad 112 thereof engages the control lever projection 113 andswings the control lever in a counter clockwise direction so that thelocking shoulder 98 thereof moves forwardly away from locked engagementwith the bell crank bent off ear 102 and the camming surface thereof ismoved into camming engagement with the said bent olf ear 102 asillustrated in FIGURE 4. During the last portion of the key dip theslight further counter clockwise movement of control lever 95 will causeitself to be cammed downward a slight distance relative to the bent oifear 102 and against the action of spring 94 so that the roll cam 83 isthereby swung into operative frictional engagement with the periphery ofthe rotating power roll 80. When the operational engagement of the rollcam and power roll has been accomplished the toggle action between theroll contact point, the roll cam center and the pivot pin 85 will tendto keep the roll cam in engagement with the power roll and hence theroll cam will be rotatably driven so that the integral triangular camwill thereby forcibly displace the rearwardly extending arm 86 of thebell crank 52 in a downward or clockwise direction as illustrated inFIGURE 5. This action will, through the bell crank supporting shaft 53,serve to rearwardly displace the upper ends of both of said bell cranks51 and 52 so as to actuate the bail body 62 through a rearward powerstroke. During this stroke the bail body will engage the sub-leverprojection 70 and arcuately displace the sub-lever 15, the latter havinginitially been displaced to a position in the path of travel of saidbail body. The operative stroke of the bail body 62 first takes up thelast bit of lost motion between link 14 and the end of the sub-leverslot 22, and then drives the type bar 13 away from the head rest andtowards the record supporting platen 130, FIGURE 2, as illustrated inFIGURE 5. At the same time the right end of the upwardly biased link 17will ride along the upper edge of slot 23 of the counter clockwisemoving sub-lever 15.

During the above noted printing stroke of type bar 13 the downwardlymoving car 102 on the bell crank projection 101 will move down along thecam surface 100 thereby camming the control lever 95 in a clockwisedirection so as to enable ear 102 to ride downwardly in the arcuate slot97 as illustrated in FIGURE 5. During the downward movement of therearwardly extending arm of bell crank 51 the camming car 121' willaxially displace shaft 104 and bail 103 against the action of spring 123to a position such that the various flexible fingers 1 10 arelongitudinally aligned with the slots between comb teeth 106. If theactuated key lever is held depressed for a longer time than is necessaryto complete the typing operation, the restoration of the bail 103 to itsnormal position will cause a lateral deflection of that flexible fingerassociated with the depressed key, this condition being illustrated bythe dotted lines, 125, FIGURE 3. Thus this key lever cannot operativelydisplace the bail 103 to start a cyclic operation of the roll camdrivemeans until it is released to move to its normal upper position atwhich time said flexed finger 110 will snap into operative position infront of the related bail comb tooth 106. When the cam lobe or corner131, FIGURE 5, between the flat cam sides 92 and 91 passes over' theupper bell crank edge 93 the spring biased bell cranks 5'1 and 52together with the bail body 62 will begin their return stroke before thetype bar printing operation occurs, thereby being ready to initiate aprinting stroke for the next type bar to be operated. The inertialcompletion of the printing stroke of the type bar is accommodated by arelative movement between the left end of link 14 and the walls definingthe sub-lever slot 22. During the return stroke of the bell crank thecar 102 will move upwardly in the control lever slot 97 and the fiat camside 91 will move toward engagement with the upper bell crank edge 93which action permits not only the spring actuated return or counterclockwise movement of the bell cranks 51 and 52 but also allows thespring 94 to restore the arm 84 to its counter clockwise position sothat roll cam 83 moves out of engagement with the power roll 80. At theend of the bell crank return movement the bell crank projection car 102will have moved upwardly into normal engagement with the control levershoulder '98 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 and the flat cam side 91 will bein normal operative engagement with the upper bell crank edge 93. Afterthe printing operation the type bar 13 together with the sublever 15will be immediately restored to their normal FIGURE 1 positions by meansof the usual type bar return spring which may be fastened between thesub-lever and machine frame.

In order to prevent a repeat conditioning of type bar 13 for actuationwhen the key lever is held in the depressed position after completion ofa typing operation, the forward end of the link 17 is provided with anextension 132, FIGURE 4, the end of which is normally disposed above acommon cross shaft 133. Cross shaft 133 is secured to the radially outerends of a pair of crank arms such as 134 fastened adjacent either end ofthe said shaft 31. If after a typing action has been initiated, asillustrated in FIGURE 5, the key lever 20' is moved to and held in thedepressed condition against the stop plate 34 as illustrated in FIGURE 7the forward extension 132 of the link 17 will engage the cross shaft 133and the rearward end of the link 17 will be thereby swung downwardly sothat as the sub-lever 15 swings back from the active condition shown inFIGURE 4 to V a normal position shown in FIGURES 1 and 7 the rearwardend of link 17 will seat in the lower notch or recess 135', FIGURES 4, 5and 7, formed in the sub-lever slot 23 as shown in FIGURE 7. Under theseconditions the depressed key lever 20 will not then hold the sublever 15in a position such that the projection 70 may be engaged by a subsequentpower displacement of the arcuate type bar driving bail assembly 50.Thus the sub-lever 15 will not be conditioned for actuation when the keylever 20 is held depressed. When key lever 20 is permitted to move toits normal upper position the rearward end of link 17 will be springbiased back into engagement with the said slot shoulder 121, asillustrated in FIGURE 1, preparatory for a subsequent typing operation.

When it is desired to manually operate the instant typewriter, the modeselection arm 32 is rotatably displaced in a clockwise direction to theM position, FIGURE 1. This action will first serve to swing the plate 34and the cross shaft 133' out of the paths of travel of the key leversand link extensions 132 respectively and secondly will serve to rotatethe eccentric 24 through 180 degrees so that the normal upper positionfor the key levers is slightly lowered from that for electric operationwhich in turn will cause the left end of link 14 to be located at theright end of the sub-lever slot 22. The key levers now will have agreater possible dip 136, FIGURE 1, as compared with the upwardlydisplaced and shorter dip 137 for the power mode of operation and willbe immediately and directly operable on the respective sublevers. Inorder to disable the operation of theroll cam drive engagement bail 103during the manual operation of the machine, the swinging of the modeselecting arm 32 to the manual (M) position will, through link 118 andthe yoked bell crank 114, axially displace the bail 103 through a shortlateral distance so that the rearwardly extending laterally flexible keylever fingers such as will, when the key levers are depressed, merelymove in the slots between the teeth 106 of the comb 105. Under theseconditions the bail 103 and the remaining portions of the roll camengaging linkage will not be actuated in response to the depression ofany of the key levers and the parts 14-17 of each type action may bedirectly actuated by the manual depression of the various key levers.FIGURE 6 illustrates the effective type action for manual operation,such action being more or less conventional in arrangement andoperation.

When it is desired to again enable the machine for power operation thearm 32 is moved to and yieldably retained in the E position whereby thevarious parts of the machine are again conditioned to power operate thetype bars in response to the selective depression of the key levers asdescribed above.

While there is in this application specifically described one form whichthe invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that thisform of the same is shown for purposes of illustration only and that theinvention may be modified and embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a typewriter; a frame, a plurality of type bars movably mounted insaid frame, a plurality of means for individually operating therespective type bars, a plurality of depressible key levers movablymounted in said frame, means operatively connected between said keylevers and said type bar operating means for enabling the direct manualactuation of said type bars upon depression of said key levers, a powerdrive means, means operatively arranged between said power drive meansand said type bar operating means for power actuation of said type barsunder the control of the selective depression of said key levers, meansfor preventing direct manual actuation of the type bars whilesimultaneously conditioning the latter for power actuation and forpreventing the power operation of said type bars while simultaneouslyconditioning the latter for direct manual actuation, a first by-passmeans for preventing a given type bar from being conditioned for repeatoperation when the related key lever is held in a depressed position,and a second by-pass means for preventing repeat operation of said powerdrive means when said key lever is held in a depressed position.

2. In a typewriter; a frame, a plurality of type bars movably mounted insaid frame, a plurality of means for individually operating therespective type bars, a plurality of depressible key levers movablymounted in said frame, an arcuate array of individual means operativelyconnected between said key levers and said type bar operating means forenabling the direct manual actuation of said type bars upon depressionof said key levers, a power drive means, means including an arcuate bailoperatively arranged between said power drive means and said type baroperating means for power actuation of said type bars under the controlof the selective depression of said key levers, means for preventingdirect manual actuation of the type bars while simultaneouslyconditioning the latter for power actuation and for preventing the poweroperation of said type bars while simultaneously conditioning the latterfor direct manual actuation.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 wherein said power drive meanscomprises a rotatably driven power roll and a roll cam which isfrictionally cooperable with the pe riphery of said power roll.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 wherein said type bar operating meansincludes a plurality of sub-levers which have a slotted connection totheir respectively associated key levers and type bars and which haveprojections that are adapted to be engaged and operatively displaced bysaid means operatively arranged between said power drive means and saidtype bar operating means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS BaileyJuly 27, 1897 Morgan et a1 June 16, 1925 Hokanson Jan. 18, 1927 VonReppert Apr. 22, 1930 Oswald Apr. 28, 1931

